Oral treatment device, system and method

ABSTRACT

An oral treatment device that emits electromagnetic radiation onto surfaces of a user&#39;s teeth. The oral treatment device may include an intraoral mouthpiece and a handle extending therefrom, the handle containing the control circuitry required for operation of the device. The mouthpiece may include a lamp support structure, a lamp, a lens plate, and a guard component. The lamp may include an electromagnetic radiation source that includes a flexible sheet and a plurality of illumination elements located thereon. The illumination elements may be light emitting diodes printed with an electrically conductive. Additional electronic components such as a processor and a power source may also be included in the device.

BACKGROUND

Tooth whitening is an increasingly popular treatment and dentists andpatients alike are searching for techniques that are both convenient andcomfortable while also being effective. Typically, to whiten a user'steeth a composition containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teethand allowed to remain in contact with the teeth to be bleached for aperiod of time. Current systems are available that allow a user to applyradiation or light to the surfaces of the teeth that are pre-coated withthe whitening composition to enhance the effectiveness of the whiteningcomposition. However, currently available systems are bulky and rigidand undesirable for one or more reasons. Specifically, current systemsdo not emit radiation or light onto the user's pre-coated teethuniformly and in a manner that effectively covers the entire toothsurface. Thus, a need exists for a tooth whitening system that is ableto effectively emit radiation or light onto a user's teeth.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention may be directed, in one aspect, to an oraltreatment device that emits electromagnetic radiation onto surfaces ofthe user's teeth. In certain aspects, the electromagnetic radiation isemitted by an electromagnetic radiation source that is coupled to a lampsupport structure of a mouthpiece. The electromagnetic radiation sourcemay comprise a flexible circuit and a plurality of illumination elementslocated thereon. In some aspects, the electromagnetic radiation sourcemay be a printed light emitting diode circuit. The oral treatment devicemay include a mouthpiece or other structure that supports theelectromagnetic radiation source as well as a handle. The handle maycontain additional electronic components such as a processor and a powersource.

In one aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment device comprising:an intraoral mouthpiece having a dental arch midline plane andcomprising: a lamp support structure comprising: a curved support plate;a first relief element formed in the curved support plate on a firstside of the dental arch midline plane that increases flexibility of afirst end portion of the curved support plate relative to a centralportion of the curved support plate; and a second relief element formedin the curved support plate on a second side of the dental arch midlineplane that increases flexibility of a second end portion of the curvedsupport plate relative to the central portion of the curved supportplate; and a lamp mounted to the lamp support structure and configuredto emit electromagnetic radiation onto oral surfaces when the intraoralmouthpiece is positioned within a mouth of a user and activated.

In another aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment devicecomprising: a control circuit that comprises, in operable coupling, apower source, a first compressible electrical contact having a firstelectrical charge, and a second compressible electrical contact having asecond electrical charge that is opposite the first electrical charge;an intraoral mouthpiece comprising: a lamp comprising a flexible sheetbody having first and second electrical contacts on a rear surface ofthe flexible sheet body, the lamp configured to generate and emitelectromagnetic radiation from a front surface of the lamp; and whereinthe lamp is mounted within the oral treatment device so that the firstand second electrical contacts of the lamp are aligned and pressed intocontact with the first and second compressible electrical contacts ofthe control circuit, respectively.

In yet another aspect, the invention may be an oral care treatmentdevice comprising: an intraoral mouthpiece having a dental arch midlineplane and comprising: a lamp support structure comprising: a lampsupport surface having a concave curvature; at least one upper overhangstructure defining an upper slot having an open bottom between the upperoverhang structure and the lamp support surface; at least one loweroverhang structure defining a lower slot having an open top between theupper overhang structure and the lamp support surface; and a lampcomprising a flexible sheet body and configured to generate and emitelectromagnetic radiation; and the lamp is mounted to the lamp supportstructure so that a top edge of the flexible sheet body nests within theupper slot and a bottom edge of the flexible sheet body nests within thelower slot, the flexible sheet body being maintained in a flexed statealong the lamp support surface due, at least in part, to contact withthe upper and lower overhang structures.

In still another aspect, the invention may be a method of forming anintraoral mouthpiece of an oral treatment system, the method comprising:a) providing a lamp support structure comprising: a lamp support surfacehaving a concave curvature; at least one upper overhang structuredefining an upper slot having an open bottom between the upper overhangstructure and the lamp support surface; and at least one lower overhangstructure defining a lower slot having an open top between the upperoverhang structure and the lamp support surface; and b) mounting a lampto the lamp support structure by inserting a top edge of a flexiblesheet body of the lamp into the upper slot and a bottom edge of theflexible sheet body into the lower slot, the flexible sheet body beingmaintained in a flexed state along the lamp support surface due, atleast in part, to contact with the upper and lower overhang structures.

In a further aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment devicecomprising: a control circuit that comprises, in operable coupling, apower source, a first electrical contact having a first electricalcharge, and a second electrical contact having a second electricalcharge that is opposite the first electrical charge; an intraoralmouthpiece having a dental arch midline plane and comprising: a lampcomprising a sheet body and a plurality of illumination zones, each ofthe illumination zones comprising a plurality of light emitters embeddedwithin the sheet body and disposed within an electrically conductiveink, the plurality of illumination zones electrically isolated from oneanother; the lamp further comprising a first electrical contact and asecond electrical contact, each of the plurality of illumination zonesin electrical coupling with the first and second electrical contacts ofthe lamp; and the first and second electrical contacts of the lampelectrically coupled to the first and second electrical contacts of thecontrol circuit respectively so that each of the plurality ofillumination zones receives power from the power source and emitselectromagnetic radiation from a front surface of the flexible sheetbody.

In a still further aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment systemcomprising: an oral treatment device comprising: a control circuitcomprising a power source; an intraoral mouthpiece comprising: a lampoperably coupled to the power source, the lamp comprising a sheet bodyand a plurality of light emitters embedded within the sheet body, thesheet body comprising a lamp lens plate forming a front surface of theflexible sheet body, the lamp lens plate formed of a material having afirst refractive index; and a cover lens plate overlying the frontsurface of the sheet body of the lamp and being adjacent the lamp lensplate so that a lamp-cover interface is formed between the lamp lensplate and the cover lens plate, the lamp lens plate being formed of amaterial having a second refractive index that is less that the firstrefractive index; and wherein upon the lamp being activated, lightgenerated by the plurality of light emitters passes though the lamp lensplate and the cover lens plate prior to exiting the oral treatmentdevice.

In another aspect, the invention may be a method of whitening facialsurfaces of teeth comprising: a) applying a teeth whitening materialhaving a third refractive index to at least one of the facial surfacesof the teeth or a front surface of a cover lens plate of an oraltreatment device, the oral treatment device comprising: a lampcomprising one or more light emitters and a lamp lens plate, the lamplens plate formed of a material having a first refractive index; and thecover lens plate overlying the lamp lens plate so that a lamp-coverinterface is formed between the lamp lens plate and the cover lensplate, the lamp lens plate being formed of a material having a secondrefractive index that is less that the first refractive index; b)positioning the oral treatment device adjacent the facial surfaces ofthe teeth so that the teeth whitening material contacts the teeth andthe front surface of the cover lens plate, the third refractive indexbeing less than the second refractive index; and c) activating the lampso that the one or more light emitters generate light that passesthrough the lamp lens plate, the cover lens plate, and the oral carematerial.

In yet another aspect, the invention may be an oral treatment devicecomprising: a control circuit that comprises, in operable coupling, apower source, a first electrical contact having a first electricalcharge, and a second electrical contact having a second electricalcharge that is opposite the first electrical charge; an intraoralmouthpiece comprising: a lamp comprising a flexible sheet body and aplurality of light emitters, the flexible sheet body having first andsecond electrical contacts on a rear surface of the flexible sheet body;a lamp support surface having a concave curvature, the lamp mounted tothe lamp support surface; a curved cover lens plate overlying the lamp,the lamp positioned between the curved cover lens plate and the lampsupport surface, the cover lens plate comprising one or moreprotuberances extending from a convex rear surface of the curved coverlens plate that are aligned with the first and second electricalcontacts of the lamp and press the flexible sheet body of the lampagainst the first and second electrical contacts.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended forpurposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is top front perspective view of an oral treatment device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom rear perspective view of the oral treatment device ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the oral treatment device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the oral treatment device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the oral treatment device of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective exploded views of the oral treatmentdevice of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a lamp support structure of theoral treatment device of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the lamp support structure of FIG.7, with an elastomeric material that fills in relief slots thereof beingexploded away;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the lamp support structure of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9A is the front view of the lamp support structure shown in FIG. 9with first and second end portions in a flexed state;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of FIG. 9

FIG. 11 is a close-up view of area XI-XI of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of a lamp of the oral treatmentdevice of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the lamp of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a schematic front view of the lamp of FIG. 11;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the lamp adjacent to the lampsupport structure in preparation for coupling those two componentstogether;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the lamp and the lamp supportstructure coupled together in an assembled state;

FIG. 17A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIIA-XVIIA of FIG.17;

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of a lens plate of the oraltreatment device of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 19 is a rear perspective view of the lens plate of FIG. 18

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view illustrating the lens plate adjacentto the assembled lamp and lamp support structure in preparation forbeing coupled thereto;

FIG. 21 is a front perspective view illustrating the lens plate, thelamp, and the lamp support structure coupled together in an assembledstate;

FIG. 21A is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIA-XXA of FIG. 21;

FIG. 21B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIB-XXIB of FIG.21;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of a guard component of the oraltreatment device of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of the guard component of FIG. 22;

FIG. 23A is a front view of the guard component if FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a cross-section taken along line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 25 is a cross-section taken along line XXV-XXV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 26 is a cross-section taken along line XXVI-XXVI of FIG. 3;

FIG. 27A illustrates applying a teeth whitening material to facialsurfaces of a set of teeth in accordance with one embodiment of a methodof whitening facial surfaces of a user's teeth;

FIG. 27B illustrates applying a teeth whitening material to the oraltreatment device of FIG. 1 in accordance with another method ofwhitening facial surfaces of a user's teeth;

FIG. 28 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the oraltreatment device of FIG. 1 placed within a user's oral cavity with theteeth whitening material located between the teeth and the device; and

FIG. 29 is the schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 28 with the oraltreatment device powered on and emitting electromagnetic radiation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merelyexemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention,its application, or uses.

The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles ofthe present invention is intended to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. In the description of embodiments of the inventiondisclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merelyintended for convenience of description and is not intended in any wayto limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as“lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,”“down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g.,“horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed torefer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawingunder discussion. These relative terms are for convenience ofdescription only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed oroperated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated assuch. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,”“interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structuresare secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectlythrough intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigidattachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated byreference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the inventionexpressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodimentsillustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that mayexist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of theinvention being defined by the claims appended hereto.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5 concurrently, an oral treatment device 1000 willbe described in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.It is known in teeth whitening systems that a more effective whiteningresult can be achieved by applying a tooth whitening material to auser's teeth and then emitting light or electromagnetic radiation ontothe teeth with the tooth whitening material pre-applied thereon in orderto activate the tooth whitening material. Thus, the oral treatmentdevice 1000 is one such device that is configured to emitelectromagnetic radiation onto oral surfaces when the oral treatmentdevice 1000, or portions thereof, is positioned within a mouth of a userand activated.

The oral treatment device 1000 generally comprises an intraoralmouthpiece (hereinafter, “the mouthpiece”) 100 and a handle 300. Themouthpiece 100 comprises a concave front surface 101 from which theelectromagnetic radiation is emitted onto the user's teeth during useand a convex rear surface 102. The handle 300 extends from the convexrear surface 102. Thus, the handle 300 extends from the mouthpiece 100in a direction generally opposite the direction in which electromagneticradiation/light is emitted from the mouthpiece 100. The handle 300comprises a housing 301 that houses a control circuit 350 (see FIGS. 6Aand 6B) of the oral treatment device 1000. The control circuit 350 andits positioning inside the housing 301 of the handle 300 will bedescribed in greater detail below.

In the exemplified embodiment, the handle 300 comprises an actuator 305(i.e., a power button) for activating the control circuit 350 foroperation of the oral treatment device 100. Specifically, actuation ofthe actuator 305 will power the oral treatment device 1000 on so thatpower is transmitted from a power source to an electromagnetic radiationsource so that the electromagnetic radiation source can emit theelectromagnetic radiation onto the user's teeth as described herein. Theoral treatment device 100 may power off automatically after apredetermined period of time, and/or the oral treatment device 100 maypower off upon a second actuation of the actuator 305. In theexemplified embodiment, the actuator 305 is a depressible button, butthe invention is not to be so limited and other types of actuators maybe used. Specifically, the actuator 305 can be any type of device thatupon actuation powers on and/or off one or more of the electricalcomponents stored within the housing 301. For example, the actuator 305can be a slide switch, a touch pad, a knob, a capacitive sensor, or anyother component that upon actuation causes the oral treatment device1000 to function as described herein. The actuator 305 may be operablycoupled to a processor so that upon depressing or otherwise actuatingthe actuator 305, the processor initiates operation of the oraltreatment device 1000 (i.e., powers on the electromagnetic radiationsource) as described in more detail below.

The mouthpiece 100 (which, as discussed below, may be formed by aplurality of components) generally comprises an arch-shaped wall 103from which the electromagnetic radiation (i.e., light) is emitted and abite platform (or bite plate) 104 extending horizontally from thearch-shaped wall 103. The arch-shaped wall 103 may have a curvature thatgenerally corresponds to the arch of the human dentiture. The mouthpiece100 is designed to emit electromagnetic radiation both above and belowthe bite platform 104. Thus, the arch-shaped wall 103 forms a lightemitting surface of the mouthpiece 100. The mouthpiece 100 may include aplurality of illumination zones (described in more detail below) so thatat least one of the illumination zones is located above the biteplatform 104 and at least one of the illumination zones is located belowthe bite platform 104.

In the exemplified embodiment, the arch-shaped wall 103 has a concavecurvature and it is configured to emit electromagnetic radiationsimultaneously onto the user's maxillary and mandibular teeth (and morespecifically onto the facial surfaces of those teeth). Of course, inother embodiments the mouthpiece 100 may be modified so that it onlyemits electromagnetic radiation onto one of the user's maxillary ormandibular teeth at a time, but not both simultaneously. In theexemplified embodiment, the electromagnetic radiation is emitted by alamp having a flexible sheet body, the details of which will bedescribed in greater detail below with specific reference to FIGS.11-15. In other embodiments, however, the light emitted by themouthpiece 100 may be generated with other light sources that are eitherembedded in the arch-shaped wall 103 and/or transmitted to the lightemitting surface of the mouthpiece 100 using light piping or othersuitable techniques. As will be discussed in greater detail below, thelight emitting surface of the mouthpiece 100 is designed to bepositioned close to and optimally oriented relative to the user'smaxillary and mandibular teeth when the oral treatment device 100 isbeing used.

The bite platform 104 comprises a horizontal portion 105 that extendshorizontally from the arched wall 103 to a distal end 106 and a verticalportion 107 that extends both upwardly and downwardly from thehorizontal portion 105 at the distal end 106. Thus, a first channel 108is formed by the arched wall 103 and the bite platform 104, andspecifically the horizontal portion 105 and the portion of the verticalportion 107 that extends upwardly from the horizontal portion 105.Similarly, a second channel 109 is formed by the arched wall 103 and thebite platform 104, and specifically the horizontal portion 105 and theportion of the vertical portion 107 that extends downwardly from thehorizontal portion 105. The first and second channels 108, 109 areconfigured to receive a user's upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibular)teeth, respectively, during a tooth whitening session. The first andsecond channels 108, 109 may also receive a tooth whitening or treatmentmaterial prior to inserting the mouthpiece 100 into a user's oralcavity.

The mouthpiece 100 comprises a dental arch midline plane A-A illustratedin FIG. 3. The dental arch midline plane A-A is a plane that is locatedcentrally between the two side ends of the mouthpiece 100 thatintersects the upper and lower ends of the mouthpiece 100 and isperpendicular to an arcuate axis upon which the arched wall 103 extends.The dental arch midline plane A-A will be referenced later for purposesof providing a reference location along the mouthpiece 100 andcomponents thereof.

During use, the mouthpiece 100 is inserted into a user's mouth such thatthe bite platform 104 is trapped or sandwiched between the user'smaxillary and mandibular teeth. When so positioned, the upper portion ofthe light emitting surface (which is formed by the arch-shaped wall 103of the mouthpiece 100) that is adjacent to the facial surfaces of theuser's maxillary teeth has a curvature such that the upper portion ofthe light emitting surface generally corresponds to at least theanterior portion of the arch of the maxillary teeth. Similarly, thelower portion of the light emitting surface (which is formed by thearch-shaped wall 103 of the mouthpiece 100) that is adjacent the facialsurfaces of the user's mandibular teeth has a curvature such that thelower portion of the light emitting surface generally corresponds to atleast the anterior portion of the arch of the mandibular teeth.

It should be noted, however, that in certain embodiments of theinvention, the mouthpiece 100 may be designed such that the biteplatform 104 is omitted. In one such embodiment, the upper and lowerlight emitting surfaces may be maintained as separate and distinct lightemitting areas, each of which emits light only onto the facial surfacesof the maxillary teeth and the facial surfaces of the mandibular teeth,respectively. In another such embodiment, the upper and lower lightemitting surfaces may be merged into a single light emitting area thatemits light onto the facial surfaces of both the maxillary andmandibular teeth. In another embodiment, the bite platform 104 may beomitted and only a single light emitting surface may be provided thatemits light only onto the facial surfaces of the maxillary teeth or onlyonto the facial surfaces of the mandibular teeth at any given time. Instill another embodiment, the bite platform 104 can be included and onlyone of the upper or lower light emitting surfaces may be provided.

In certain embodiments, the mouthpiece 101 (including all of thecomponents thereof that come into contact with the oral cavity) may beformed of a biocompatible material, such as a food grade polymer.Suitable biocompatible materials include, without limitation,polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyethylene (PE), silicone, ethylene propylene dienemonomer (EPDM), and other plastics. Of course, the invention is not tobe so limited in all embodiments and other materials are possible forconstruction of the mouthpiece 100, and various components thereof. Incertain embodiments, the mouthpiece 100, or at least portions thereof,may be formed of an elastomeric material. The specific materials of someof the components of the mouthpiece 100 and the housing 300 will bedescribed in greater detail below.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the components of the oral treatmentdevice 1000 will be mentioned and briefly described, with a moredetailed description of some of the components being provided in thefigures and description that follow. The mouthpiece 100 of the oraltreatment device 1000 generally comprises a lamp support structure 120,a lamp 150, a lens plate or cover lens plate 180, and a guard component210. Also illustrated in these exploded views are the handle 300 and thecontrol circuit 350 that is housed within the housing 301 of the handle300. When fully assembled, the lamp 150 is coupled to the lamp supportstructure 120 and then the lens plate 180 is coupled to the lamp supportstructure 120 thereby sandwiching the lamp 150 between the lamp supportstructure 120 and the lens plate 180. The guard component 210 is thencoupled to the lens plate 180. In some embodiments, the guard component210 may be formed of a resilient or elastomeric material, such as athermoplastic elastomer. In such embodiments, the guard component 210may be injection molded onto the lens plate 180 after the lens plate 180is coupled to the lamp support structure 120 as described herein.

Referring to FIGS. 6A, 6B, 24, and 26 concurrently, the housing 301 andthe components housed therein will be briefly described. As can be seenin these figures, a first portion 302 of the housing 301 is integrallyformed with the lamp support structure 120 as a monolithic structure anda second portion 303 of the housing 301 is integrally formed with thehandle 300. The handle 300 is coupled to the lamp support structure 120by coupling the first and second portions 302, 303 of the housingtogether, which forms the fully enclosed housing 301, whereby portionsof the housing 301 are formed by each of the handle 300 and the lampsupport structure 120. The handle 300 also comprises an end cap 304 thatis separate from and coupled to the second portion 303 of the housing301.

As mentioned above, the housing 301 contains a control circuit 350. Thecontrol circuit 350 comprises a control unit 370 and an actuation unit380. The control unit 370 and the actuation unit 380 are separatecomponents, but when the oral treatment device 1000 is assembled theyare operably coupled together. The actuation unit 380 operates inconjunction with the actuator 305 to power the oral treatment device1000 on and off. Furthermore, the actuation unit 380 comprises a frontwall 381 with depressions 382, 383 therein, the depressions 382, 383each having a floor 384. As best shown in FIG. 24 and described in moredetail below, when the oral treatment device 1000 is assembled, thefront wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 forms a portion of a lampsupport surface to which the lamp 150 is coupled. Specifically, the lampsupport structure 120 and the front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380collectively form the lamp support surface.

The control unit 370 generally comprises, among other components, aproperly programmed processor, a memory device, a power source 360, anda timer that are operably coupled together. The control unit 370 is alsooperably coupled to the actuation unit 380 and specifically to theactuator 305. The control circuit 350 also comprises a firstcompressible electrical contact 351 and a second compressible electricalcontact 352, each of which is operably coupled to the power source 360.The first compressible electrical contact 351 has a first electricalcharge and the second compressible electrical contact 352 has a secondelectrical charge, the first and second electrical charges beingopposite to one another. Thus, if the first electrical charge ispositive, then the second electrical charge is negative, and vice versa.

The control circuit 350, in turn, is operably and electrically coupledto the lamp 150 so that the control circuit 350 can control theoperation thereof. More specifically, and as described in much moredetail below, the lamp 150 comprises electrical contacts that contactthe first and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of thecontrol circuit 350 to transmit power from the power source 360 to thelamp 150 so that light or other electromagnetic radiation may begenerated by the lamp and emitted from the oral treatment device 1000.

In the exemplified embodiment, the first and second electrical contacts351, 352 are indicated as being compressible. This means that the firstand second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 may compress when aforce is applied thereto. In some embodiments, the first and secondcompressible electrical contacts 351, 352 comprise a body formed of acompressible material and an electrically conductive layer on thecompressible material. In certain embodiments, the first and secondcompressible electrical contacts 351, 352 may be formed from anelectrically conductive mesh that is filled with a compressiblematerial. The compressible material may in some embodiments be foam,although other materials are possible so long as it permits compressionof the electrical contacts 351, 352, which as will be discussed furtherbelow increases the physical contact between the first and secondelectrical contacts 351, 352 and electrical contacts on the lamp 150. Insome embodiments, the first and second compressible electrical contacts351, 352 are resilient such that they can be compressed or otherwisedeformed in response to a force being applied therein. The first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 should have anelectrically conductive material (e.g., the electrically conductivemesh) on their exterior for facilitating the electrical coupling withthe lamp 150 and the power source 360. The electrically conductive meshmay be a metal (e.g., such as silver, copper, aluminum, iron, steel,brass, or the like) or other electrically conductive material as may bedesired. In some embodiments, the electrically conductive mesh may bewoven like a tube with the foam acting as a compressible materialresiding inside of the tube-like electrically conductive mesh.

Of course, the first and second compressible electrical contacts 351,352 need not be compressible in all embodiments. Rather, the first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 could instead betraditional electrical contacts that are formed from an electricallyconductive material (i.e., metal such as silver, copper, aluminum, iron,steel, brass, or the like) but that are not compressible. Thecompressible feature of the first and second compressible electricalcontacts 351, 352 increases the electrical coupling between theelectrical contacts of the lamp 150 and the first and secondcompressible electrical contacts 351, 352, but is not required in allembodiments.

When the device is assembled as shown in FIG. 24, the first and secondcompressible electrical contacts 351, 352 nest within the depression 382of the front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 of the control circuit350. However, the first and second compressible electrical contacts 351,352 protrude slightly from the front wall 381. As a result, when thelamp 150 is coupled to the lamp support structure 120, electricalcontacts of the lamp 150 (described below) contact and compress thecompressible electrical contacts 351, 352 thereby electrically couplingthe lamp 150 to the compressible electrical contacts 351, 352. This willbe described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 21B.

The properly programmed processor may be any suitable microprocessorbased programmable logic controller, personal computer, or the like thathas memory for storing various instructions to control the operation ofthe lamp 150. The processor is programmed with algorithms to receivedata from the various other electrical components and sensors, analyzethe data, and cause the electrical components to operate in a desired orpredetermined manner based on instructions that are stored in the memorydevice or an integrated memory area of the processor.

In the illustrated embodiment, the power source 360 is operably andelectrically coupled to the processor and to the lamp 150 so thatelectrical energy can be provided thereto for powering the same. Thepower source 360 may be one or more batteries, battery cells, printedbatteries, rechargeable batteries, super capacitors, or a controlcircuit that stores electrical energy. Alternatively, in certainembodiments the power source 360 may be omitted and instead theelectronic components of the oral treatment device 1000 may be poweredby a plug that is coupled to a power supply, such as a wall socket.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9, the lamp support structure 120 will be furtherdescribed. The lamp support structure 120 comprises a curved supportplate 121 and the first portion 302 of the housing 300. The curvedsupport plate 121 comprises a concave front surface 110 and a convexrear surface 111. The concave front surface 110 of the lamp supportstructure 120 forms at least a portion of a lamp support surface 122(the rest of the lamp support surface 122 being formed by the front wall381 of the actuation unit 380 as mentioned above). The lamp supportstructure 120 comprises an opening 123 formed into the lamp supportsurface 122 that extends all the way through to the back end of thefirst portion 302 of the housing 300. In the assembled oral treatmentdevice 1000, portions of the control circuit 350 extend through thefirst portion 302 of the housing 300 and into the opening 123 in thelamp support surface 122. Specifically, as best seen in FIGS. 16 and 24,the actuation unit 380 is positioned so that the front wall 381 and thefirst and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 extend intothe opening 123. Thus, in the fully assembled oral treatment device1000, the lamp support surface 122 is formed partially by the lampsupport structure 120 and partially by the front wall 381 and the firstand second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of the actuationunit 380. This will be described in greater detail below with referenceto FIG. 16.

The lamp support structure 120 extends along an arcuate longitudinalaxis B-B that extends from a first distal side edge 125 a of the curvedsupport plate 121 to a second distal side edge 126 a of the curvedsupport plate 121. The curved support plate 121 comprises a centralportion 124, a first end portion 125 extending from the central portion124 to the first distal side edge 125 a, and a second end portion 126extending from the central portion 124 to the second distal side edge126 a. Furthermore, the curved support plate 121 comprises a firstrelief element 127 located on a first side of the dental arch midlineplane A-A and a second relief element 128 located on a second side ofthe dental arch midline plane A-A. The first relief element 127 islocated within the first end portion 125 of the curved support plate 121and the second relief element 128 is located within the second endportion 126 of the curved support plate 121.

The first relief element 127 increases flexibility of the first endportion 125 of the curved support plate 121 relative to the centralportion 124 and the second relief element 128 increases flexibility ofthe second end portion 126 of the curved support plate 121 relative tothe central portion 124. Specifically, referring to FIGS. 9 and 9A, theflexibility of the curved support plate 121 is illustrated. In FIG. 9A,the first and second end portions 125, 126 of the curved support plate121 are being flexed relative to the central portion 124 of the curvedsupport plate 121. This flexing is achieved by applying a force onto thefirst and second distal side edges 125 a, 125 b of the curved supportplate 121. The first and second relief elements 127, 128 facilitate thisflexing capability of the curved support plate 121.

The curved support plate 121 is generally formed of a rigid material,such as a hard plastic. Thus, without the first and second reliefelements 127, 128, the curved support plate 121 would only be able to beflexed very minimally, if at all. However, in some embodiments themouthpiece 100 is not custom made, but rather the same size and shapedevice is intended to be used by different people having different mouthsizes and shapes. For example, the mouthpiece 100 may come in a fewdifferent sizes (e.g., small, medium, large). However, people have morethan three different mouth sizes, so such standard sizing is not alwaysoptimal. By including the first and second relief elements 127, 128, thecurved support plate 121 is able to flex so that the mouthpiece 100 canfit into mouths of different size. Specifically, if a person with asmaller mouth were to insert the mouthpiece into his/her mouth, both ofthe first and second end portions 125, 126 of the curved support plate121 would flex relative to the central portion 124 of the curved supportplate 121 to facilitate insertion into the smaller mouth.

In the exemplified embodiment, the first relief element 127 is a firstelongated aperture 129 and the second relief element 128 is a secondelongated aperture 130 (best shown in FIG. 8) formed through the curvedsupport plate 121. Each of the first and second elongated apertures 129,130 is a closed-geometry aperture defined entirely by the curved supportplate 121. Furthermore, in the exemplified embodiment, each of the firstand second elongated apertures 129, 130 is arcuate in shape. Thus, inthe exemplified embodiment, the first elongated aperture 129 is defined,at least in part, by a first convex edge 131 of the central portion 124of the curved support plate 121 and a first concave edge 132 of thefirst end portion 125 of the curved support plate 121. Similarly, thesecond elongated aperture 130 is defined, at least in part, by a secondconvex edge 133 of the central portion 124 of the curved support plate121 and a second concave edge 134 of the second end portion 126 of thecurved support plate 121. Of course, the invention is not to be limitedby the exact shape of the elongated apertures 129, 130 in allembodiments and the first and second elongated apertures 129, 130 maytake other shapes, such as rectangular, square, triangular, irregular,or the like, while still permitting and facilitating the desired flexingof the curved support plate 121 as described herein.

In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and second elongatedapertures 129, 130 is filled with an elastomeric material. Thus, thelamp support structure 120, in its final assembled state, does not haveopenings in the curved support plate 121. Rather, the openings that formthe first and second elongated apertures 129, 130 are filled with anelastomeric material, such as a thermoplastic elastomer or the like.Thus, the first elongated aperture 129 may be filled with a firstelastomeric component 135 and the second elongated aperture 130 may befilled with a second elastomeric component 136. The first and secondelastomeric components 135, 136 may be injection molded directly intothe first and second elongated apertures 129, 130, or they may be formedseparately from the curved support plate 121 and coupled thereto usingan interference fit or other mechanical means.

The curved support plate 121 is formed of a hard plastic material andthe elastomeric material filler in the first and second elongatedapertures 129, 130 is much more resilient and flexible than the hardplastic. Stated another way, the curved support plate 121 is formed of afirst material having a first hardness and the first and second reliefelements 127, 128 are sealed with a second material (i.e., the first andsecond elastomeric components 135, 136, for example) having a secondhardness which is less than the first hardness. Thus, even though theelongated apertures 129, 130 are filled, the relief elements 127, 128are still capable of increasing the flexibility of the first and secondend portions 125, 126 of the curved support plate 121 relative to thecentral portion 124 of the curved support plate 121.

The first relief element 127 extends from a first point P1 above thearcuate longitudinal axis B-B to a second point P2 below the arcuatelongitudinal axis B-B. Similarly, the second relief element 128 extendsfrom a first point P4 above the arcuate longitudinal axis B-B to asecond point P4 below the arcuate longitudinal axis B-B. Each of thefirst and second relief elements 127, 128 is symmetric about the arcuatelongitudinal axis B-B of the lamp support structure 120. Furthermore,the first and second relief elements 127 have lengths that extend formost of the height of the curved support plate 121. This is needed toallow for the desired flexing of the curved support plate as describedherein above. Thus, a first transverse distance TD1 between the firstand second points P1, P2 of the first relief element 127 measured alonga first transverse reference line TR1 is at least a majority of a firsttransverse height TH1 of the curved support plate 120 measured along thefirst transverse reference line TR1 from a bottom edge 137 of the curvedsupport plate 121 to a top edge 138 of the curved support plate 121.Similarly, a second transverse distance TD2 between the first and secondpoints P3, P4 of the second relief element 128 measured along a secondtransverse reference line TR2 is at least a majority of a secondtransverse height TH2 of the curved support plate 121 measured along thesecond transverse reference line TR2 from the bottom edge 137 of thecurved support plate 121 to the top edge 138 of the curved support plate121. In the exemplified embodiment, the first and second transversedistances TD1, TD2 are at least 70%, or at least 75%, or at least 80%,or at least 85%, or at least 90%, or at least 95% of the first andsecond transverse heights TH1, TH2 of the curved support plate 120.Thus, only a small percentage of the curved support plate 121 is formedof the hard plastic in this region, the remainder being formed from aresilient material (or an opening), thereby enhancing the flexibility ofthe curved support plate 121 as described herein.

Moreover, the first elongated aperture 129 of the first relief element127 extends along a first aperture axis AA1-AA1 and the second elongatedaperture 130 of the second relief element 128 extends along a secondaperture axis AA2-AA2. The first elongated aperture 129 has a firstaperture width W1 measured in a direction transverse to the firstaperture axis AA1-AA1. The first aperture width W1 decreases withdistance from the arcuate longitudinal axis B-B of the lamp supportstructure 120 in both directions towards the first point P1 and towardsthe second point P2. The second elongated aperture 130 has a secondaperture width W2 measured in a direction transverse to the secondaperture axis AA2-AA2. The second aperture width W2 decreases withdistance from the arcuate longitudinal axis B-B of the lamp supportstructure 120 in both directions towards the first point P3 and towardsthe second point P4.

Still referring to FIGS. 7-9, the lamp support structure 120, and morespecifically the curved support plate 121 thereof, comprises aperimetric lamp retaining wall 139 protruding from and surrounding thelamp support surface 122. The perimetric lamp retaining wall 139comprises a first side lamp retaining wall 139 a, a second side lampretaining wall 139 b, an upper lamp retaining wall 139 c, and a lowerlamp retaining wall 139 d. The first and second side lamp retainingwalls 139 a, 139 b and the upper and lower lamp retaining walls 139 c,139 d collectively define the perimetric lamp retaining wall 139, whichis a closed geometric wall. The perimetric lamp retaining wall 139extends upwardly away from the lamp support surface 122 such that thelamp support surface 122 is recessed relative to an outermost surface ofthe curved support plate 121 of the lamp support structure 120. When thelamp 150 is coupled to the lamp support structure 120, the lamp 150 islocated entirely within the lamp support surface 122. Thus, the lamp150, when so positioned, is surrounded by the perimetric lamp retainingwall 139. The perimetric lamp retaining wall 139 assists in maintainingthe lamp 150 within the lamp support surface 122 of the lamp supportstructure 120.

The lamp support structure 129 further comprises a first connectionelement 140 protruding from the first distal side edge 125 a of thecurved support plate 121 and a second connection element 141 protrudingfrom the second distal side edge 126 a of the curved support plate 121.In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and second connectionelements 140, 141 of the lamp support structure 129 comprises two legsthat protrude from the first and second distal side edges 125 a, 126 a,respectively, in a spaced apart manner. Thus, there is a gap between thetwo legs of each of the first and second connection elements 140, 141.The first and second connection elements 140, 141 are configured tointeract and mate with connection elements on the lens plate 180, asdiscussed more fully below with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21, to couplethe lens plate 180 to the lamp support structure 129.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 9-11, the lamp support structure 120 furthercomprises at least one upper overhang structure 142 and at least onelower overhang structure 143. There is exactly one of the upper overhangstructures 142 and one of the lower overhang structures 143 in theexemplified embodiment. However, in alternative embodiments more thanone of one or both of the upper and lower overhang structures 142, 143could be included on the lamp support structure 120. As seen in FIG. 9,in the exemplified embodiment each of the upper and lower overhangstructures 142, 143 are located on the dental arch midline plane A-A.However, this is not required in all embodiments and the upper and loweroverhang structures 142, 143 could be located at other positions inother embodiments. However, centering the upper and lower overhangstructures 142, 143 along the lamp support surface 122 assists inretaining the lamp 150 thereon and maintaining the lamp 150 in itsflexed and curved shape, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The upper overhang structure 142 protrudes from and extends downwardlyfrom the upper lamp retaining wall 139 c at a distal end of the upperlamp retaining wall 139 c. Thus, the upper overhang structure 142 isspaced apart from the lamp support surface 122. As a result, the upperoverhang structure 142 defines an upper slot 144 having an open bottom146, the upper slot 144 being defined between the upper overhangstructure 142 and the lamp support surface 122. The lower overhangstructure 143 protrudes from and extends upwardly from the lower lampretaining wall 139 d at a distal end of the lower lamp retaining wall139 d. Thus, the lower overhang structure 143 is spaced apart from thelamp support surface 122. As a result, the lower overhang structure 143defines a lower slot 145 having an open top 147, the lower slot 145being defined between the lower overhang structure 143 and the lampsupport surface 122.

Thus, the lamp 150 can be inserted into the upper slot 144 through theopen bottom 146 thereof and into the lower slot 145 through the open top147 thereof. Once in the upper and lower slots 144, 145, the upper andlower overhang structures 142, 143 serve to hold the lamp 150 in place.Thus, the upper and lower overhang structures 142, 143 form a singlepoint contact that holds the lamp in place 150. The curvature of thelamp 150 biases the lamp 150 against the end points and the lamp 150snaps into place during assembly. The interaction between the lamp 150and the lamp support structure 120 will be described in greater detailbelow with reference to FIGS. 16, 17, and 17A.

Referring to FIGS. 12-15, the lamp 150 will be described. In theexemplified embodiment, the lamp 150 is a singular structure that, whenthe oral treatment device 1000 is assembled, is located along the lampsupport surface 122 of the lamp support structure 120. The lamp 150comprises a flexible sheet body 151, which is an elongated sheet that issufficiently flexible such that it can be bent from a planar state intoa contoured shape having a curvature that generally corresponds to thearch of a user's dentiture. In one embodiment, the flexible sheet body151 is in a planar state when no bending force is applied thereto. Inanother embodiment, the flexible sheet body 151 is flat when no bendingforce is applied thereto, but the flexible sheet body 151 can be bentinto the desired curvature such as for example to match the curvature ofthe lamp support surface 122.

The flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150 generally comprises a frontsurface 152 and a rear surface 153. The lamp 150 also comprises aplurality of light emitters 154 embedded within the flexible sheet body151 that generate light which is emitted from the front surface 152 ofthe flexible sheet body 151. In one embodiment, the light emitted by theplurality of light emitters 154 has a wavelength in a range of 375 nm to520 nm. In another embodiment, the light emitted by the plurality oflight emitters 154 has a wavelength in a range of 400 nm to 430 nm. In afurther embodiment, the light emitted by the plurality of light emitters154 has a wavelength in a range of 400 nm to 420 nm, and in stillanother embodiment the wavelength is in a range of 405 nm to 415 nm. Thewavelength of light emitted by the light emitters 154 is generally knownto be effective to whiten teeth.

The flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150 comprises an upper edge 155,a lower edge 156, a first side edge 157, and a second side edge 158. Theflexible sheet body 151 comprises a length measured from the first sideedge 157 to the second side edge 158 and a width measured from the upperedge 155 to the lower edge 156. The length may be in a range of 55-70mm, more specifically 60-65 mm, and still more specifically 62-63 mm.The width may be in a range of 15-30 mm, more specifically 20-25 mm, andstill more specifically 22-23 mm. In the exemplified embodiment, theflexible sheet body 151 is a laminate structure that generally comprisesa flexible lens plate 159, a flexible reflective substrate 160, firstand second electrical contacts 161, 162, an upper bus bar 171, and alower bus bar 172. The plurality of light emitters 154 are disposedbetween the flexible lens plate 159 and the flexible reflectivesubstrate 160. The upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 and portions of thefirst and second electrical contacts 161, 162 may also be locatedbetween the flexible lens plate 159 and the flexible reflectivesubstrate 160. In some embodiments, when assembled, the flexiblereflective substrate 160 is adjacent to the lamp support surface 122 andthe light is emitted from the flexible lens plate 159 side of theflexible sheet body 151.

In one embodiment, the flexible lens plate 159 of the flexible sheetbody 151 has a front surface 163 and a rear surface 164. The frontsurface 163 of the flexible lens plate 159 forms the front surface 153of the flexible sheet body 151. The flexible lens plate 159 may beformed of a transparent biocompatible material, such as transparent PET.The plurality of light emitters 154, in one embodiment, are lightemitting diodes (“LEDs”) printed to the rear surface 164 of the flexiblelens plate 159 of the flexible sheet body 151. In one such embodiment,the LEDs may be printed to the rear surface 164 with an electricallyconductive ink 165.

Printed LEDs may be formed by depositing micro LED chips via aconductive ink formulation that can be printed in any shape to bestconform to the teeth and jaw structure, which is ideal for optimizedefficacy. Specifically, gallium nitride may be used to form the LEDs insome embodiments, which may then be mixed with resin and binders to forman ink, and a standard screen printer may be used to deposit theresulting ink over a desired surface. The electrically conductive ink165 may include electrically conductive materials, such as by infusinggraphite or other conductive materials into the ink. Although describedherein as being printed LEDs, the plurality of light emitters 154 may,in certain embodiments, be any type of light source, particularly solidstate light sources, which may include LEDs, OLEDs, HBLEDs,electroluminescent elements, or the like. In certain other embodiments,the plurality of light emitters 154 can be printed inorganic LEDs, microconventional LEDs that are surface mounted to a flexiblesubstrate/circuit, organic LEDs (OLEDs), or electroluminescence. Instill other embodiments, the plurality of light emitters 154 can be anyof the LEDs noted herein mounted to a rigid rather than a flexiblesubstrate. In the exemplified embodiment, after the LEDs are printedonto the rear surface 164 of the flexible lens plate 159 and theconductive ink 165 is printed, a dielectric material 179 may be providedto insulate different regions/illumination zones of the lamp 150 fromone another, as described in more detail below.

The lamp 150 may operate with a driving current that is less than orequal to 130 mA, although in some embodiments it may be between 75 mAand 105 mA. The lamp 150 may have an emittance at 90 mA that is greaterthan 9.2 mW/cm2. The lamp 150 may be divided into a plurality ofdistinct regions of equal surface area. Regardless of the breakdown ofthe regions, the lamp 150 may have a uniformity that is greater than 75%among the distinct regions. The lamp 150 may have a surface operatingtemperature that is below 48° C. when driven in accordance with theparameters set forth herein for a time period of 10 minutes.

After the LEDs are printed and the dielectric material 179 is added, thefirst and second electrical contacts 161, 162 and the upper and lowerbus bars 171, 172 may be added, by printing or in any other manner (suchas placing an electrically conductive material onto the conductive ink165 or near it and then electrically coupling it to the conductive ink165. The first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 and the upper andlower bus bars 171, 172 may be placed or otherwise provided onto theexposed side of the electrically conductive ink 165 and dielectric 179that is opposite the rear surface 164 of the flexible lamp lens 159.Next, electrical contacts (e.g., the diodes depicted in FIG. 15) may beadded between the upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 and the illuminationzones and between the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 andthe illumination zones, as will be described in more detail below, inorder to electrically couple the upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 andthe electrical contacts 161, 162 to the illumination zones of the lamp150.

Finally, the reflective layer 160, which is not conductive and may beconsidered an insulating layer, is positioned so as to completely coverthe conductive ink 165, the dielectric 179, and the upper and lower busbars 171, 172. Although in the exemplified embodiment the reflectivelayer 160 covers the upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 completely, inother embodiments at least portions of the upper and lower bus bars 171,172 may remain exposed. The reflective layer 160 may also cover aportion of the first and second electrodes 161, 162 as shown, although aportion of the first and second electrodes 161, 162 must be left exposedso that they can make contact with, and therefore be electricallycoupled to, the first and second compressible electrodes 351, 352 of thecontrol circuit 350. Thus, a percentage (i.e., 50%, 60%, 75%) of thefirst and second electrical contacts 161, 162 may be covered by thereflective layer 160 while the rest of the first and second electricalcontacts 161, 162 remains exposed. The exposed portions of the first andsecond electrical contacts 161, 162 that will be aligned with the firstand second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 in the assembledoral treatment device 1000 should be exposed.

Thus, portions of the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 areexposed on the rear surface 153 of the flexible sheet body 151. Thefirst electrical contact 161 has a first contact surface 165 and thesecond electrical contact 162 has a second contact surface 166. Thefirst and second electrical contacts 161, 162 are spaced apart from oneanother. One of the first and second electrical contacts 161 operates asa positive electrical contact and the other of the first and secondelectrical contacts 162 operates as a negative electrical contact. Thus,the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 must not be in contactwith one another to avoid shorting the circuit.

As illustrated, each of the first and second electrical contacts 161,162 is in the form of an elongated strip that extends approximatelyone-half of the length of the lamp 150. In the exemplified embodiment,the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 are locatedequidistant from the upper and lower edges 155, 156 of the flexiblesheet body 151. In some embodiments, the first electrical contact 161may be a first bus bar and the second electrical contact 162 may be asecond bus bar. The first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 arespaced apart from one another along a midline of the flexible sheet body151, perhaps as best shown in FIG. 15.

In one embodiment, the lamp 150 has an illumination area (i.e., area ofthe front surface 152 that comprises the plurality of light emitters154) that is in a range of 10 cm² to 20 cm², more preferably in a rangeof 12 cm² to 16 cm², and most preferably in a range of 14 cm² to 15 cm².The height of illumination area may be in a range of 1 cm to 3 cm, andmore preferably 2 cm to 3 cm, with 2.25 cm being most preferred. Thelength of illumination area may be in a range of 4 cm to 8 cm, morepreferably in a range of 5 cm to 7 cm, and most preferably in a range of6 cm to 6.5 cm. Of course, dimensions outside of these ranges arecertainly possible. However, these ranges have been selected to optimizethe side of the lamp 150 for different users having different sized oralcavities and mouths while ensuring that the mouthpiece 100 remainscomfortable for all users for the desired treatment time.

The lamp 150 extends along a lamp longitudinal axis C-C from a firstlamp side edge 151 a of the flexible sheet body 151 to a second lampside edge 151 b of the flexible sheet body 151. In the exemplifiedembodiment, the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 arelocated on the lamp longitudinal axis C-C, although this is notnecessarily required in all embodiments. Thus, the first and secondelectrical contacts 161, 162 may be located at other positions along therear surface 153 of the flexible sheet body 151 so long as they arepositioned so as to come into electrical contact with the first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of the control circuit350 when the oral treatment device 1000 is assembled. The lamp 150 alsocomprises a plurality of illumination zones that are electricallyisolated from one another. However, each of the plurality ofillumination zones is in electrical coupling with one of the first andsecond electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150 and one of the upperand lower bus bars 171, 172 that electrically couples at least two ofthe illumination zones together, which enables each of the illuminationzones to receive power from the power source and to emit electromagneticradiation from the front surface 152 of the flexible sheet body 151. Theflow of current through the illumination zones will be described ingreater detail below.

The plurality of illumination zones comprise a first upper illuminationzone 167, a second upper illumination zone 168, a first lowerillumination zone 169, and a second lower illumination zone 170.Although shown in FIG. 12, in actuality the various zones 167-170 willnot be visible on the exterior of the lamp 150. Rather, the exterior ofthe lamp 150 will have a very plain, unassuming appearance. Thedemarcation of the various zones 167-170 takes place internally withinthe flexible sheet body 151, as described herein. FIG. 15 is a schematicillustration of the lamp 150 and thus it depicts the various zones167-170 and other features that are not actually visible on the lamp 150itself.

In the exemplified embodiment, the first and second upper illuminationzones 167, 168 are located above the lamp longitudinal axis C-C and thefirst and second lower illumination zones 169, 170 are located below thelamp longitudinal axis C-C. In the assembled oral treatment device 1000,the first and second upper illumination zones 167, 168 are located abovethe bite platform 104 and the first and second lower illumination zones169, 170 are located below the bite platform 104. Furthermore, in theexemplified embodiment the first and second upper illumination zones167, 168 are arranged in series with one another between the first andsecond electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150 and the first andsecond lower illumination zones 169, 170 are arranged in series with oneanother between the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 of thelamp 150. The first and second upper illumination zones 167, 168 arearranged in parallel to the first and second lower illumination zones169, 170. In the exemplified embodiment, the lamp 150 comprises a singleflexible sheet body 151 and each of the plurality of illumination zones167-170 is on a single flexible sheet body 151

The upper bus bar 171 is located above the first and second upperillumination zones 167, 168, and more specifically between the first andsecond upper illumination zones 167, 168 and the upper edge 155 of theflexible sheet body 151. The upper bus bar 171 is an elongated stripformed of an electrically conductive material such as a metal that iselongated between the first and second side edges 151 a, 151 b of theflexible sheet body 151. The upper bus bar 171 extends in anuninterrupted manner for its entire length above each of the first andsecond upper illumination zones 167, 168. The upper bus bar 171electrically couples the first and second upper illumination zones 167,168 together, as described below.

The lower bus bar 172 is located below the first and second lowerillumination zones 169, 170, and more specifically between the first andsecond lower illumination zones 169, 170 and the lower edge 156 of theflexible sheet body 161. The lower bus bar 172 electrically couples thefirst and second lower illumination zones 169, 170 together. The lowerbus bar 172 is an elongated strip formed of an electrically conductivematerial such as a metal (e.g., silver, copper, aluminum, iron, steel,brass, or the like) that is elongated between the first and second sideedges 151 a, 151 b of the flexible sheet body 151. The lower bus bar 172extends in an uninterrupted manner below each of the first and secondlower illumination zones 169, 170 along its entire length.

In the exemplified embodiment, portions of the first and secondelectrical contacts 161, 162 are located on (or exposed on) the rearsurface 153 of the flexible sheet body 151 the upper and lower bus bars171, 172 are embedded within the flexible sheet body 151 as describedabove and illustrated in FIG. 14. The first and second electricalcontacts 161, 162 are adjacent to one another and axially spaced apartfrom one another. The upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 extend in adirection that is generally parallel to the first and second electricalcontacts 161, 162, although in the exemplified embodiment the upper andlower bus bars 171, 172 may have a slight curve rather than beingperfectly straight. Thus, the upper and lower bus bars 171, 172 areelongated in the same direction that the first and second electricalcontacts 161, 162 are elongated. The upper and lower bus bars 171, 172are spaced apart from one another and from each of the first and secondelectrical contacts 161, 162, with the first and second electricalcontacts 161, 162 being located between the upper and lower bus bars171, 172 in a direction that is transverse to the lamp longitudinal axisC-C.

The first electrical contact 161 is a first bus bar formed of anelectrically conductive material such as a metal that is elongated andpositioned between the first upper illumination zone 167 and the firstlower illumination zone 169. The second electrical contact 162 is asecond bus bar formed of an electrically conductive material such as ametal that is elongated and positioned between the second upperillumination zone 168 and the second lower illumination zone 170. Thefirst upper illumination zone 167, the first lower illumination zone169, and the first electrical contact 161 are located on a first side ofthe dental arch midline plane A-A. The second upper illumination zone168, the second lower illumination zone 170, and the second electricalcontact 162 are located on a second side of the dental arch midlineplane A-A that is opposite the first side. The upper and lower bus bars171, 172 are each located on both sides of the dental arch midline planeA-A. The first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 may be anyelectrically conductive material, but possible metals include silver,copper, aluminum, iron, steel, brass, or the like.

As described above, in the exemplified embodiment, the plurality oflight emitters 154 comprises a plurality of LEDs or the like that areprinted with an electrically conductive ink 165. In such an embodiment,the electrically conductive ink 165 is electrically coupled to each ofthe first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 and each of the upperand lower bus bars 171, 172 of the lamp 150. More specifically, theelectrically conductive ink 165 in the first upper illumination zone 167is electrically coupled to the first electrical contact 161 and to theupper bus bar 171, the electrically conductive ink 165 in the secondupper illumination zone 168 is electrically coupled to the upper bus bar171 and the second electrical contact 162, the electrically conductiveink 165 in the first lower illumination zone 169 is electrically coupledto the first electrical contact 161 and the lower bus bar 172, and theelectrically conductive ink 165 in the second lower illumination zone170 is electrically coupled to the lower bus bar 172 and the secondelectrical contact 162.

As shown schematically in FIG. 15, this electrical coupling between thevarious illumination zones and the electrical contacts/bus bars isachieved with diodes. Thus, a first diode is electrically coupled to thefirst electrical contact 161, the first upper illumination zone 167, andthe upper bus bar 171. A second diode is electrically coupled to theupper bus bar 171, the second upper illumination zone 168, and thesecond electrical contact 162. A third diode is electrically coupled tothe first electrical contact 161, the first lower illumination zone 169,and the lower bus bar 172. A fourth diode is electrically coupled to thelower bus bar 172, the second lower illumination zone 170, and thesecond electrical contact 162. When the oral treatment device 1000 isassembled, the first electrical contact 161 of the lamp 150 iselectrically coupled to the first compressible electrical contactelement 351 and the second electrical contact 162 of the lamp 150 iselectrically coupled to the second compressible electrical contactelement 352. These electrical couplings facilitate providing power toeach of the illumination zones 167-170 so that each can emitelectromagnetic radiation/light as described herein.

Due to the electrical coupling between the various electrical contacts161, 162, bus bars 171, 172, and the electrically conductive ink 165 (inthe various illumination zones 167-170), current will flow as follows:(1) from the first electrical contact 161 through the electricallyconductive ink 165 in the first upper illumination zone 167 of the lamp150 to the upper bus bar 171; (2) from the upper bus bar 171 through theelectrically conductive ink 165 in the second upper illumination zone168 of the lamp 150 to the second electrical contact 162; (3) from thefirst electrical contact 161 through the electrically conductive ink 165in the first lower illumination zone 169 of the lamp 150 to the lowerbus bar 172; and (4) from the lower bus bar 172 through the electricallyconductive ink 165 in the second lower illumination zone 169 of the lamp150 to the second electrical contact 162. As a result, all of theillumination zones 167-170 will be powered simultaneously when the firstand second electrical contacts 161, 162 are coupled to the first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352, which are in turncoupled to the power source 360. Thus, the upper illumination zones 167,168 are in series with one another, the lower illumination zones 169,170 are in series with one another, the first upper illumination zone167 is in parallel with the first lower illumination zone 169, and thesecond upper illumination zone 168 is in parallel with the second lowerillumination zone 170.

Referring to FIG. 15, in some embodiments the illumination zones 167-170may be subdivided into a plurality of sub-zones. Thus, the first upperillumination zone 167 may comprise first, second, and third sub-zones167 a, 167 b, 167 c, the second upper illumination zone 168 may comprisefirst, second, and third sub-zones 168 a, 168 b, 168 c, the first lowerillumination zone 169 may comprise first, second, and third sub-zones169 a, 169 b, 169 c, and the second lower illumination zone 170 maycomprise first, second, and third sub-zones 170 a, 170 b, 170 c. In someembodiments, the second and third sub-zones 167 b, 167 c of the firstupper illumination zone 167 and the first and second sub-zones 168 a,168 b of the second upper illumination zone 168 may form the fourcritical zones of the lamp 150. The reason for this is that the teeththat are most visible in day-to-day life are the front four teeth of auser's top jaw (i.e., the maxillary incisors). The four critical zonesof the lamp 150 are aligned with the maxillary incisors during a normaltooth whitening procedure using the oral treatment device 1000 describedherein.

In certain embodiments, the twelve sub-zones noted above have greaterthan 75% uniformity, more preferably greater than 85% uniformity.Furthermore, the four critical zones have greater than 90% uniformity.While the uniformity of the twelve sub-zones may decrease slightly aftertwenty-five hours of operation of the oral treatment device 1000, theuniformity of the four critical zones will not have any such drop. Asused herein, uniformity refers to the consistency of the irradiance ofthe lamp 150 within the various indicated zones and sub-zones,irradiance being the radiant flux (i.e., power) received by a surfaceper unit area having an SI unit of watt per square meter (W/m²).

Referring to FIGS. 16, 17, and 17A concurrently, the coupling of thelamp 150 to the lamp support structure 120 will be described. As notedpreviously, when the control circuit 350 is in its assembledstate/position, the front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 forms aportion of the lamp support surface 122. The control circuit 350 isillustrated in position within the lamp support structure 120 in FIG. 16to illustrate this. Furthermore, the first and second compressibleelectrical contact elements 351, 352 nest within the depressions 382,383 (see FIG. 6B) formed into the front wall 381. However, the first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 protrude from the lampsupport surface 122 when they are in an uncompressed state (i.e., normalstate without any forces acting thereon). As can be seen, the first andsecond electrical contacts 161, 162 on the lamp 150 are aligned with thefirst and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352. Thus, as thelamp 150 comes into contact with the lamp support surface 122 duringassembly, the electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150 come intoelectrical coupling with the first and second compressible electricalcontact elements 351, 352 and cause the compressible electrical contacts351, 352 to compress. This will be described in more detail below withreference to FIG. 21B.

To couple the lamp 150 to the lamp support structure 120, the upper edge155 of the flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150 is inserted into theupper slot 144 defined between the upper overhang structure 142 and thelamp support surface 122. Similarly, the lower edge 156 of the flexiblesheet body 151 of the lamp 150 is inserted into the lower slot 145defined between the lower overhang structure 143 and the lamp supportsurface 122. Thus, a portion of the upper edge 155 of the lamp 150 nestswithin the upper slot 144 and a portion of the lower edge 156 of thelamp 150 nests within the lower slot 145. FIG. 17A provides a close-upview of the upper edge 155 of the lamp 150 being located within theupper slot 144. This holds the lamp 150 in place and snap fits the lampagainst the lamp support surface 122. In some embodiments, the lamp 150may have a pre-defined curvature that biases the lamp 150 against theentirety of the lamp support surface 122. In other embodiments, the lamp150 may be maintained in a flexed state (i.e., curved as shown) alongthe lamp support surface 122 due, at least in part, to contact with theupper and lower overhang structures 142, 143. In some embodiments, thelamp 150 is snap-fit to the lamp support structure 120 due to the upperedge 155 of the flexible sheet body 151 flexing and snapping past theupper overhang structure 142 into the upper slot 144 and the lower edge156 of the flexible sheet body 151 flexing and snapping past the loweroverhang structure 143 into the lower slot 145.

As seen in FIG. 17, the edges of the lamp 150 may be retained by theperimetric lamp retaining wall 139 of the lamp support structure 120. Insome embodiments, the edges of the lamp 150 may abut against orotherwise be in contact with the perimetric lamp retaining wall 139 orportions thereof, although this is not required in all embodiments. FIG.17 illustrates the lamp 150 mounted to the lamp support structure 120.When so positioned, the lamp 150 is configured to emit electromagneticradiation onto oral surfaces when the mouthpiece 100 is positionedwithin a mouth of a user and activated, as described herein.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the lens plate 180 will be described. Thelens plate 180 may be referred to herein as a curved lens plate or acover lens plate in various embodiments, but it should be appreciatedthat all of these terms refer to the same component. However, it shouldbe appreciated that the lens plate 180 is a separate structure from thelamp 150, and therefore a separate structure form the flexible lensplate 159 that forms a part of the flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp150. When the oral treatment device 1000 is assembled, the lens plate180 is adjacent to the flexible lens plate 159 of the lamp 150. The lensplate 180 is coupled to the lamp support structure 120 so that the lamp150 is positioned between the lamp support structure 120 and the lensplate 180. The lens plate 180 comprises a front surface 181 from whichthe light generated by the lamp 150 is emitted and a rear surface 182opposite the front surface 181. The rear surface 182 of the lens plate180 is adjacent to and faces the front surface 152 of the flexible sheetbody 151 of the lamp 150. In the exemplified embodiment, the lens plate180 has a curved shape such that the front surface 181 of the lens plate180 is concave and the rear surface 182 of the lens plate 180 is convex.Thus, the shape of the lens plate 180 matches the shape of the lampsupport surface 122.

Because the lens plate 180 covers the front surface 152 of the flexiblesheet body 151 of the lamp 150, the lens plate 180 is formed of a lighttransmissive material so that the light generated by the light emittersof the lamp 150 can pass through the lens plate 180. Thus, in someembodiments the lens plate 180 may be formed of a transparent material.The lens plate 180 may also be formed of a translucent material. In someembodiments, the lens plate 180 may have a colored tint, while stillbeing light transmissive so that light emitted by the lamp 150 can passtherethrough. In one particular embodiment, the lens plate 180 may beformed of a transparent biocompatible material. The lens plate 180 maybe formed of a copolyester. In some embodiments the copolyester isEastar™ BR003, although the invention is not to be so limited in allembodiments and the lens plate 180 may be formed of a number ofdifferent materials so long as it enables the light emitted by the lamp150 to pass therethrough as described herein. One benefit of Eastar™BR003 is that it contains a mold release additive and is nearlywater-clear.

The lens plate 180 extends along an arcuate longitudinal axis D-D from afirst end 183 to a second end 184. The lens plate 180 comprises a firstconnection element 185 located on the first end 183 and a secondconnection element 186 located on the second end 184. As will bedescribed in more detail below, the first and second connection features185, 186 of the lens plate 180 mate with the first and second connectionfeatures 140, 141 of the lamp support structure 120 to couple the lensplate 180 to the lamp support structure 120.

The lens plate 180 comprises a first protuberance 187 and a secondprotuberance 188 extending from the rear surface 182 in a spaced apartmanner. In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and secondprotuberances 187, 188 is located on the arcuate longitudinal axis D-Dof the lens plate 180. Furthermore, the first and second protuberances187, 188 are spaced apart from one another along the arcuatelongitudinal axis D-D. Although two of the protuberances 187, 188 aredepicted in the exemplified embodiment, it is possible that only oneprotuberance or more than two protuberances could be used in alternativeembodiments. In one particular embodiment, the first and secondprotuberances 187, 188 could be connected to form a single, longerprotuberance.

In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and secondprotuberances 187, 188 is elongated in a direction that extends betweenthe first and second ends 183, 184 of the lens plate 180. However, theinvention is not to be particularly limited by the shape of the firstand second protuberances 187, 188 in all embodiments. Thus, the firstand second protuberances 187, 188 could take on other shapes while stillbeing able to achieve the desired function, described in more detailherein below. For example, the first and second protuberances 187, 188could be nubs that extend form the rear surface 182 without beingelongated. When the oral treatment device 1000 is assembled, the firstand second protuberances 187, 188 are aligned with the first and secondelectrical contacts 161, 172 on the rear surface 153 of the flexiblesheet body 151 of the lamp 150 to press them into contact with the firstand second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of the controlcircuit 350.

The lens plate 180 also comprises an upper recess 189 and a lower recess190 that are aligned with one another along the dental arch midlineplane A-A. Each of the upper and lower recesses 189, 190 are formed intothe rear surface 182 of the lens plate 180, which is the surface thatfaces the lamp support surface 122 when the mouthpiece 100 is assembledas described herein. The upper and lower recesses 189, 190 have a shapethat corresponds with the shape of the upper and lower overhangstructures 142, 143 so that the upper and lower overhang structures 142,143 of the lamp support structure 120 nest within the upper and lowerrecesses 189, 190 of the lens plate 180 when those two components arecoupled together.

The upper and lower recesses 189, 190 may form alignment elements of thelens plate 180 and the upper and lower overhang structures 142, 143 mayform alignment elements of the lamp support structure 120. In that way,the upper and lower recesses 189, 190 of the lens plate 180 and theupper and lower overhang structures 142, 143 of the lamp supportstructure 120 may mechanically mate with one another (by the upper andlower overhang structures 142, 143 being received within the upper andlower recesses 189, 190) to maintain the lens plate 180 and the lampsupport structure 120 in relative alignment with one another. Thus, inthe exemplified embodiment it is recesses (i.e., the upper and lowerrecesses 189, 190) of the lens plate 180 that mate with protrusions(i.e., the upper and lower overhang structures 142, 143) of the lampsupport structure 120 to provide the alignment function. The inventionis not to be so limited in all embodiments. In other embodiments, thelens plate 180 may be protrusions that interact/mate with recesses inthe lamp support structure 120 to achieve the alignment. In otherembodiments, these “alignment” elements may be omitted and alignment maybe achieved by properly coupling the connection features 140, 141 of thelamp support structure 120 to the connection features 185, 186 of thelens plate.

In the exemplified embodiment, the lens plate 180 further comprises aplurality of protuberances 191 protruding from the front surface 181.More specifically, the lens plate 180 comprises a ridge 192 extendingfrom the front surface 181 of the lens plate 180 along the arcuatelongitudinal axis D-D. The plurality of protuberances 191 are located onand extend from the ridge 192 in a direction away from the front surface181. The plurality of protuberances 191 are spaced apart along thearcuate longitudinal axis A-A. In the exemplified embodiment, there arefour of the protuberances 191. However, any number of the protuberances191 may be present in various alternative embodiments. In fact, it maybe possible to properly manufacture the oral treatment device 1000without including the protuberances 191 on the front surface 181 of thelens plate 180 and thus those protuberances 191 may be omitted in someembodiments.

In the exemplified embodiment, the protuberances 191 that extend fromthe front surface 181 of the lens plate 180 are aligned with theprotuberances 187, 188 that extend from the rear surface 182 of the lensplate 180. Thus, at least one of the protuberances 191 on the frontsurface 181 of the lens plate 180 is aligned with/overlaps at least oneof the protuberances 187, 188 on the rear surface 182 of the lens plate180 In fact, in the exemplified embodiment the protuberances 191 on thefront surface 181 and the protuberances 187, 188 on the rear surface 182are all located on the arcuate longitudinal axis D-D. However, it shouldbe appreciated that the protuberances 191 need not be aligned with theprotuberances 187, 188 in all embodiments, although such alignment mayfacilitate a secure electrically coupling between the first and secondelectrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150 of the first and secondcompressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of the control circuit 350.

Referring to FIGS. 20-21A, the coupling of the lens plate 180 to thelamp support structure 120 with the lamp 150 already coupled theretowill be described. The lens plate 180 is positioned with its rearsurface 182 facing the lamp support surface 122 of the lamp supportstructure 120 and the lamp 150. The lens plate 180 is then moved towardsthe lamp support structure 120 until the first and second connectionelements 185, 186 of the lens plate 180 are received between the legs ofthe first and second connection elements 140, 141 of the lamp supportstructure 120. The engagement and mating of the connection elements 185,186 of the lens plate 180 with the connection elements 140, 141 of thelamp support structure 120 physically/mechanically couple the lens plate180 to the support structure 120. Furthermore, as the lens plate 180 ismoved towards the lamp support structure 120, the upper and loweroverhang structures 142, 143 of the lamp support structure 120 enterinto and nest within the upper and lower recesses 189, 190 on the rearsurface 182 of the lens plate 180.

Referring to FIGS. 21A, 24 and 25, when the lens plate 180 is coupled tothe lamp support structure 120, the lens plate 180 overlies the frontsurface 152 of the flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150 so that thelens plate 180 is adjacent to the flexible lens plate 159 of the lamp150. In this way, a lamp-cover interface 193 is formed between theflexible lens plate 159 of the lamp 150 and the lens plate 180. Theflexible lens plate 159 of the lamp 150 is formed of a material having afirst refractive index and the lens plate 180 is formed of a materialhaving a second refractive index, with the second refractive index beingless than the first refractive index. During operation, the lightgenerated by the light emitters 154 passes through the flexible lensplate 159 of the lamp 150 and through the lens plate 180 prior toexiting the oral treatment device 1000. In the exemplified embodiment,the lens plate 180 and the lamp 150 have the same curved profile.Furthermore, the lens plate 180 and the lamp 150 are straight (i.e.,perpendicular to the horizon) rather than being angled.

In some embodiments, a ratio of the second refractive index to the firstrefractive index is at least 0.8:1 and in other embodiments the ratio ofthe second refractive index to the first refractive index is at least0.9:1. In some embodiments, the first refractive index may be in a rangeof 1.6 to 1.8, and more specifically in a range of 1.6 to 1.7. In someembodiments, the second refractive index may be in a range of 1.45 to1.65, and more specifically in a range of 1.5 to 1.6. In someembodiments, an oral treatment material that is intended for use withthe oral treatment device 1000 may couple the lens plate 180 to the oralsurface to be treated (see element 400 in FIGS. 27A-29). The oraltreatment material may have a third refractive index that is less thanthe second refractive index. In some embodiments, the third refractiveindex may be in a range of 1.3 to 1.5 and a ratio of the thirdrefractive index to the second refractive index of the lens plate 180may be at least 0.8:1. The oral treatment material may be a toothwhitening gel and the light emitted by the plurality of light emitters154 may have a wavelength in a range of 380 nm to 500 nm, or morespecifically 400 nm to 420 nm, as noted above.

Referring to FIG. 21B, the relationship between the lens plate 180, thelamp 150, the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp150, and the first and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352of the control circuit 350 will be described. The lamp support surface122 comprises two depressions 382, 383, each of which are formed intothe front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 as described above.Specifically, because the front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 formsa portion of the lamp support surface 122, the depressions 382, 383formed into the front wall 381 of the actuation unit 380 are alsodepressions in the lamp support surface 122. The floor 384 of thedepressions 382, 383 forms a wall surface upon which the first andsecond compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 may be compressed inthe assembled oral treatment device 1000. As mentioned previously, thefirst and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 are locatedwithin the depressions 382, 383 and protrude out from the lamp supportsurface 122 in their normal, non-compressed state.

The lamp 150 is then coupled to the lamp support structure 120 adjacentto the lamp support surface 122 so that the rear surface 153 of theflexible sheet body 151 is in contact with the lamp support surface 122.When so positioned, the electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150 arealigned with the compressible electrical contacts 351, 352 of thecontrol circuit 350. Next, the lens plate 180 is coupled to the lampsupport structure 120 as described above so that the rear surface 182 ofthe lens plate 180 is adjacent to the front surface 152 of the flexiblesheet body 151 of the lamp 150. As noted above, the protuberances 187,188 extending from the rear surface 182 of the lens plate 180 arealigned with the first and second electrical contacts 161, 162 of thelamp 150 and the first and second compressible electrical contacts 351,352 of the control circuit 350. Thus, when the lens plate 180 is coupledto the lamp support structure 120, the protuberances 187, 188 press theflexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150, and more specifically the firstand second electrical contacts 161, 162 of the lamp 150, against thefirst and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352, therebycausing the first and second compressible electrical contacts 351, 352to compress. In FIG. 21B, the first and second electrical contacts 351,352 (only the first electrical contact 351 is illustrated, but the sameoccurs with the second electrical contact 351) are in a compressed statedue to the contact with the first and second electrical contacts 161,162 of the lamp 150. Thus, the one or more protuberances 187, 188 of thelens plate 180 compress the first and second compressible contacts 351,352 between the flexible sheet body 151 of the lamp 150 and a wallsurface, said wall surface being formed by the floor 384 of thedepressions 382, 383.

Referring to FIGS. 22, 23, and 23A, the guard component 210 of themouthpiece 100 will be described. As mentioned above, the guardcomponent 210 may be formed of a resilient material such as athermoplastic elastomer or other elastomeric material. Suitableelastomeric materials include, without limitation, thermoplasticelastomers, rubbers, silicones, or other biocompatible resilientmaterials suitable for uses in an oral hygiene apparatus includingthermoset elastomers or the like. The reason for forming the guardcomponent 210 out of an elastomeric material is that the guard component210 is the main component that directly contacts the user's oral cavitysurfaces during use of the oral treatment device 1000. Thus, forming theguard component 210 out of an elastomeric material enhances comfort tothe user. The guard component 210 may be injection molded onto the lampsupport structure 120 after the lamp 150 and the lens plate 180 arecoupled to the lamp support structure 120 to complete the assembly ofthe mouthpiece 100. Alternatively, the guard component 210 could beformed separately from the lamp support structure 120 and merely coupledthereto using mechanical interfaces/mating between the components.

The guard component 210 has a front surface 211 and a rear surface 212opposite the front surface 211. The guard component 210 extends from afirst side end 213 to a second side end 214 and is generally arcuate inits extension from the first side end 213 to the second side end 214.The guard component 210 is coupled to the lamp support structure 120with the rear surface 212 facing the lens plate 180, the lamp 150, andthe lamp support surface 122. The guard component 210 generallycomprises a frame 220, a wall portion 230, and a bite plate portion 240that forms at least a part, if not the entirety, of the bite platform104 of the mouthpiece 100.

The frame portion 220 defines a window 221 that is divided by the biteplate portion 240 into an upper window 222 and a lower window 223. Theframe 220 forms an enclosed geometric structure having an arcuate shapethat appears rectangular when viewed from the front (see FIG. 23A). Theframe portion 220 has an inner surface 229 that forms the bounds of theupper and lower windows 222, 223. The upper and lower windows 222, 223are openings through which the lens plate 180 is exposed in theassembled mouthpiece 100. Thus, electromagnetic radiation emitted by thelamp 150 can pass through the lens plate 180 and through the upper andlower windows 222, 223 to reach a user's teeth and other oral surfacesas desired. More specifically, the electromagnetic radiation emitted bythe first and second upper illumination zones 167, 168 of the lamp 150pass through the upper window 222 and the electromagnetic radiationemitted by the first and second lower illumination zones 169, 170 of thelamp 150 pass through the lower window 223.

As noted above, the bite plate portion 240 of the guard component 210may in certain embodiments form the entirety of the bite platform 104 ofthe mouthpiece 100. Thus, as shown in the exemplified embodiment, thebite plate portion 240 of the guard component 210 comprises a horizontalportion 241 that extends horizontally form the wall portion 230 of theguard component 210 and a vertical portion 242 that extends bothupwardly and downwardly from the horizontal portion 241. Upper and lowerchannels 243 (only the upper channel is visible in FIGS. 22 and 23) aredefined between the wall portion 230 and the vertical portion 242 of thehorizontal portion 241. Stopper elements 244, 245 are provided at theends of the upper and lower channels 243 that will be adjacent to auser's back-most teeth during use. The stopper elements 244, 245 mayensure that any whitening or other agents provided in the upper andlower channels 243 remain therein during use.

Because the bite platform 104 is formed entirely from the guardcomponent 210 in the exemplified embodiment, the bite platform 104 isformed from an elastomeric material as described herein. During use, thebite platform 104 is located between the user's upper and lower teethand thus the user may bite down on the bite platform 104. Forming thebite platform 104 entirely out of an elastomeric material may beadvantageous in that it will not damage a user's teeth if they happen tobite down with great force.

The guard component 210 also comprises an upper gum guard 250 and alower gum guard 251. The upper gum guard 250 extends from the frame 220along an upper edge thereof and the lower gum guard 251 extends from theframe 220 along a lower edge thereof. The upper gum guard 250 has aninner surface 252 that faces the bite plate portion 240 and an outersurface 253 that faces away from the bite plate portion 240. In theexemplified embodiment, the inner surface 252 of the upper gum guard 250is convex and the outer surface 253 of the upper gum guard 250 isconcave. Similarly, the lower gum guard 251 has an inner surface 254that faces the bite plate portion 240 and an outer surface 255 thatfaces away from the bite plate portion 240 (best shown in FIG. 26). Inthe exemplified embodiment, the inner surface 254 is convex and theouter surface 255 is concave. During use, the upper gum guard 250 maypivot upwardly relative to the frame 220 while the lower gum guard 251may pivot downwardly relative to the frame 220 to cover a greatersurface area of the gums for protection thereof (see FIGS. 28 and 29).

As can be seen in FIGS. 24-26, the guard component 210 is coupled to thelamp support structure 120 and seals the lamp 150 in a fluid tightmanner between the lens plate 180 and the lamp support structure 120.The guard component 210 covers a perimeter region of the front surface181 of the lens plate 180 to prevent liquid (i.e., water, saliva,whitening material, etc.) from penetrating through the guard component210 and contacting the lamp 150 or other electronic components of theoral treatment device 1000. Furthermore, because the guard component 210is injection molded onto the lamp support structure 120 duringmanufacturing in the exemplified embodiment, the protuberances 191extending from the front surface 181 of the lens plate 180 extend intothe bite plate portion 240 of the guard component 210 during theinjection molding process. Specifically, the protuberances 191 extendingfrom the front surface 181 of the lens plate 180 extend into a rearsurface 249 of the bite platform 240 of the guard component 210. This isbest seen in FIGS. 21B and 25. This creates a strong bond between theguard component 210 and the lens plate 180 and prevents upward anddownward movement of the guard component 210 relative to the lens plate180 and the remainder of the mouthpiece 100. Even without injectionmolding, this same structural arrangement can be achieved by formingrecesses into the rear surface 249 of the bite platform 240 within whichthe protuberances 191 extending from the front surface 181 of the lensplate 180 can nest when the guard component 210 is coupled to theremainder of the mouthpiece 100.

Furthermore, as best seen in FIG. 26, a portion of the frame 220 of theguard component 210 directly covers a portion of the front surface 181of the lens plate 180 along the upper and lower edges and opposing sideedges thereof (i.e., along a perimeter region as noted above) tosecurely retain the lens plate 180 in place between the guard component210 and the lamp 150/lamp support structure 120. Thus, the guardcomponent 210 directly covers a perimetric portion of the front surface181 of the lens plate 180. As best shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, the guardcomponent 210 may also wrap around portions of the lamp supportstructure 120 to the rear surface of the curved support plate 121 toachieve a good, secure coupling between the guard component 210 and thelamp support structure 120.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 24-26, the oral treatment device 1000 isillustrated in its entirety and in various cross-sections. In thesecollective views, it can be readily seen that the first portion 302 ofthe housing 301 formed by the lamp support structure 120 and the secondportion 303 of the housing 301 formed by the handle 300 are coupledtogether to form the enclosed housing 301. The first and second portions302, 303 of the housing 301 may have coupling elements that facilitatethe coupling of the first and second portions 302, 303 of the housing301 together. Such coupling elements may include mating indents/detents,protuberances/recesses, clips, hooks, or other mechanical couplingmembers that are configured to mate/interact with one another to couplethe components together.

The enclosed housing 301 has an inner surface 306 that defines a cavity307 within which the control circuit 350 is located. The housing 301should be completely enclosed and preferably hermetically sealed toprevent water or other liquids from penetrating into the cavity 307,which could cause damage to the control circuit 350 housed therein. Theoral treatment device 1000 may include a gasket 308 that is positionedbetween the first portion 302 of the housing 301 and the second portion303 of the housing 301 to ensure that the cavity 307 is a sealedinterior space. As can be seen in these views, the handle 300 extendsfrom the convex rear surface 102 of the mouthpiece 100 along the dentalarch midline plane A-A such that the handle 300 is fixed to the centralportion 124 of the curved support plate 121 of the lamp supportstructure 120.

To reiterate, the first and second compressible electrodes 351, 352 areoperably coupled to the power source 360. Furthermore, the first andsecond electrodes 161, 162 on the rear surface 153 of the lamp 150 arein direct contact with the first and second compressible electrodes 351,352, thereby electrically coupling the lamp 150 to the power source 360.The protuberances 191 extending from the front surface 181 of the lensplate 180 apply pressure onto the front surface 152 of the lamp 150,which forces the first and second electrodes 161, 162 of the lamp 150 tocompress the first and second compressible electrodes 351, 352 asdescribed above. Once the oral treatment device 1000 is activated bypressing a power button or the like, power is transmitted from the powersource 360 to the lamp 150 so that the light emitters 154 of the lamp150 can emit electromagnetic radiation from the front surface 152 of thelamp 150, through the lens plate 180, and through the upper and lowerwindows 222, 223 of the guard component 210. In this manner, theelectromagnetic radiation can be emitted onto teeth or the like that arelocated within the first and second channels 108, 109 of the oraltreatment device 1000.

Referring to FIGS. 27A-29, a method of whitening facial surfaces of auser's teeth using the oral treatment device 1000 described herein willbe described. FIGS. 27A and 27B illustrate alternative possibilities forthe first step in the process. Specifically, the method may compriseapplying a teeth whitening material 400 having the third refractiveindex (described above) to the facial surfaces of a user's teeth 410, asshown in FIG. 27A. This can be achieved using a brush, an applicator, afinger, or the like. Alternatively, the method may comprise applying theteeth whitening material 400 having the third refractive index to thefront surface 181 of the lens plate 180 of the oral treatment device1000. In yet another embodiment, the teeth whitening material 400 may beapplied to both the facial surfaces of the user's teeth 410 and to thefront surface 181 of the lens plate 180 of the oral treatment device1000.

Referring now to FIG. 28, the next step is to position the oraltreatment device 1000 within the user's mouth so that the facialsurfaces of the user's teeth 410 are adjacent to the front surface 181of the lens plate 180 of the oral treatment device 1000. During thisstep, the teeth whitening material 400 may be positioned so that itcontacts the teeth 410 and the front surface 181 of the lens plate 180simultaneously. This may be important in some embodiments to ensure thatthe electromagnetic radiation is able to be properly emitted onto theteeth. Specifically, because the lamp 150 has a first refractive index,the lens plate 180 has a second refractive index that is less than thefirst refractive index, and the teeth whitening material 400 has a thirdrefractive index that is less than the second refractive index, havingall of these components/materials in contact with one another ensures aproper emission of the electromagnetic radiation from the lamp 150 tothe teeth 410. Of course, this is not required in all embodiments and insome other embodiments the teeth whitening material 400 may be locatedon the facial surfaces of the user's teeth 410 but not also in contactwith the lens plate 180. In such an embodiment, the light orelectromagnetic radiation being emitted from the lamp 150 will stillcontact the teeth whitening material 400 to increase its effectiveness.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 29, the next step is to activate the lamp 150,which can be achieved by pressing a button, sliding a switch, or thelike as has been described herein. Activation of the lamp 150 will causethe light emitters of the lamp 150 to generate electromagnetic radiationor light that passes through the lamp lens plate 159, the lens plate180, and the teeth whitening material 400. As should be understood, thelight will pass through the lamp lens plate 159, the lens plate 180, andthe teeth whitening material 400 sequentially.

As can be seen in FIGS. 28 and 29, the lamp 150 and the lens plate 180are oriented vertically when the mouthpiece 100 or portions thereof arelocated within a user's oral cavity. Thus, the lamp 150 and the lensplate 180 are not angled, but rather they are oriented so as to beperpendicular to the horizon or to the bite plate 104. Of course, thelamp 150 and the lens plate 180 could be positioned at otherorientations in other embodiments if so desired.

As noted above, the oral treatment device 1000 may include a timer thatis operably coupled to a processor. A single treatment using the oraltreatment device 1000 may have a predetermined treatment time, and thusthe oral treatment device 1000 may automatically power off upon thepredetermined treatment time being reached or the oral treatment device1000 may include an indicator to indicate to the user that thepredetermined treatment time has been reached. Such an indicator couldbe a light, a sound (emitted by a speaker), a vibration (emitted by avibration device), or the like. In some embodiments, the oral treatmentdevice 1000 may be configured to activate an indicator at the halfwaypoint during a treatment session. Thus, if a treatment is intended tolast for ten minutes, the indicator may be automatically activated atthe expiration of five minutes from the beginning of the treatment time(determined either by the power being activated or by the power beingactivated and sensing that the mouthpiece 100 is located within a user'soral cavity). The indicator may be an audible tone, a visible light(blinking or the like) or a vibration or other tactile indicator. Insome embodiments, the oral treatment device 1000 may emit an audibletone at the halfway point of a treatment session and again at the end ofa treatment session/cycle. Of course, the audible tone may readily bereplaced by emission of a light or a tactile indicator as describedherein. In certain embodiments, the oral treatment device 1000 mayinclude a speaker located inside of the handle 300 to emit the audibletone.

In some embodiments, the speaker may also emit an audible tone, forexample three distinct tones or the like, if the battery runs out ofpower during a treatment session. Thus, the speaker may emit a firstaudible tone at the halfway point during a treatment session, a secondaudible tone at the end of a treatment session, and a third audible toneif the battery runs out of power during a treatment session. The firstand second audible tones may be the same in some embodiments and theymay be different in other embodiments (e.g., the first audible tonecould be a single discrete beep and the second audible tone could be twodiscrete beeps, or the first and second audible tones could have a firstsound pattern and the third audible tone could have a second differentsound pattern). In some embodiments, the first and second audible tonesmay be different from one another and from the third audible tone sothat a user can readily distinguish between the different tones so thatthe user understands the information that the oral treatment device 1000is trying to relay to the user.

The oral treatment device 1000 may in certain embodiments be sold as akit that includes the mouthpiece/housing and a supply of the toothwhitening material 400. In other embodiments the mouthpiece/housing maybe sold by itself without tooth whitening material. Furthermore, incertain embodiments the mouthpiece/housing may be designed and used todispense the tooth whitening material into contact with the user'steeth. Thus, there is versatility in the use of the devices and systemsdescribed herein. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that when thedevice is used for both dispensing the tooth whitening material andemitting electromagnetic radiation onto the user's teeth, the toothwhitening material may be optically clear to enable the electromagneticradiation to be transmitted through the tooth whitening material andonto the surfaces of the user's teeth.

As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each andevery value that is within the range. Any value within the range can beselected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references citedherein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In theevent of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and thatof a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examplesincluding presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variationsand permutations of the above described systems and techniques. It is tobe understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural andfunctional modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe present invention. Thus, the spirit and scope of the inventionshould be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An oral treatment device comprising: an intraoralmouthpiece having a dental arch midline plane and comprising: a lampsupport structure comprising: a curved support plate; a first reliefelement formed in the curved support plate on a first side of the dentalarch midline plane that increases flexibility of a first end portion ofthe curved support plate relative to a central portion of the curvedsupport plate; and a second relief element formed in the curved supportplate on a second side of the dental arch midline plane that increasesflexibility of a second end portion of the curved support plate relativeto the central portion of the curved support plate; and a lamp mountedto the lamp support structure and configured to emit electromagneticradiation onto oral surfaces when the intraoral mouthpiece is positionedwithin a mouth of a user and activated; wherein the first relief elementis a first elongated aperture and the second relief element is a secondelongated aperture; and wherein each of the first and second elongatedapertures is filled with an elastomeric material and the curved supportplate is formed of a hard plastic.
 2. The oral treatment deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the lamp support structure extends along anarcuate longitudinal axis that extends from a first distal side edge ofthe curved support plate to a second distal side edge of the curvedsupport plate; and wherein the first end portion of the curved supportplate comprises the first distal side edge and the second end portion ofthe curved support plate comprises the second distal side edge.
 3. Theoral treatment device according to claim 2 wherein each of the first andsecond relief elements extend from a first point above the arcuatelongitudinal axis to a second point below the arcuate longitudinal axis.4. The oral treatment device according to claim 2 wherein each of thefirst and second relief elements is symmetric about the arcuatelongitudinal axis of the lamp support structure.
 5. The oral treatmentdevice according to claim 3 wherein a first transverse distance betweenthe first and second points of the first relief element measured along afirst transverse reference line is at least a majority of a firsttransverse height of the curved support plate measured along the firsttransverse reference line from a bottom edge of the curved support plateto a top edge of the curved support plate; and wherein a secondtransverse distance between the first and second points of the secondrelief element measured along a second transverse reference line is atleast a majority of a second transverse height of the curved supportplate measured along the second transverse reference line from thebottom edge of the curved support plate to the top edge of the curvedsupport plate.
 6. The oral treatment device according to claim 1 whereineach of the first and second elongated apertures is a closed-geometryaperture defined entirely by the curved support plate.
 7. The oraltreatment device according to claim 1 wherein each of the first andsecond elongated apertures is arcuate.
 8. The oral treatment deviceaccording to claim 6 wherein the first elongated aperture is defined, atleast in part, by a first convex edge of the central portion of thecurved support plate and a first concave edge of the first end portionof the curved support plate; and wherein the second elongated apertureis defined, at least in part, by a second convex edge of the centralportion of the curved support plate and a second concave edge of thesecond end portion of the curved support plate.
 9. The oral treatmentdevice according to claim 1 wherein the first elongated aperture extendsalong a first aperture axis and has a first aperture width, measuredtransverse to the first aperture axis, that decreases with distance froman arcuate longitudinal axis of the lamp support structure; and whereinthe second elongated aperture extends along a second aperture axis andhas a second aperture width, measured transverse to the second apertureaxis, that decreases with distance from the arcuate longitudinal axis ofthe lamp support structure.
 10. The oral treatment device according toclaim 1 wherein the curved support plate is formed of a hard plastic.11. The oral treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the curvedsupport plate is formed of a first material having a first hardness andthe first and second relief elements are sealed with a second materialhaving a second hardness which is less than the first hardness.
 12. Theoral treatment device according to claim 1 further comprising: a handleextending from a convex rear surface of the intraoral mouthpiece alongthe dental arch midline plane, the handle fixed to the central portionof the curved support plate; and the intraoral mouthpiece furthercomprising: a lens plate overlying the lamp, the lamp located betweenthe lens plate and the lamp support structure; a guard component formedof an elastomeric material, the guard component coupled to the lampsupport structure and sealing the lamp in a fluid tight manner betweenthe lens plate and the lamp support structure, the guard componentcomprising a frame portion defining a window through which the lensplate is exposed and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the lampcan pass.
 13. The oral treatment device according to claim 1 furthercomprising: a handle extending from a convex rear surface of theintraoral mouthpiece along the dental arch midline plane, the handlecomprising a housing; a control circuit comprising a power sourcepositioned within the housing, the control circuit operably coupled tothe lamp; and wherein at least a portion of the housing is integrallyformed with the lamp support structure as a monolithic structure. 14.The oral treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the lampcomprises a flexible sheet body; and a plurality of light emittersembedded within the flexible sheet body that generate light which isemitted from a front surface of the flexible sheet body; and wherein theplurality of light emitters are light emitting diodes printed with anelectrically conductive ink.
 15. The oral treatment device according toclaim 1 wherein the lamp is configured to emit light at a wavelength, orwavelengths, effective to whiten teeth.
 16. The oral treatment deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the curved support plate comprises a frontsurface having a concave curvature and a rear surface having a convexcurvature.